[Vision2020] What constitutes good journalism (or why Matt is nowsinging wit

[keely emerinemix]

Vera's column, which I look forward to every Friday she writes, is not 
"reporting."  It's Vera's take on local events.  That's the point of a 
column -- it's not reporting, it's commentary.  As the daughter of Boston 
Globe columnist Ellen Goodman once said, "My mom gets paid to tell people 
what she thinks."

Most good columnists, of course, began as journalists.  It's their wealth of 
background knowledge, experience, perspective and ability to cut through the 
crap that make them valuable contributors to their newspapers, and I don't 
know of any regular newspaper columnist who continues beat reporting once 
they become columnists.  This is as it should be.  Occasionally you find, 
say, a city beat reporter who does a weekend column on duck hunting, but no 
newspaper risks credibility by having a reporter who also doubles as a 
politics/current events/local news columnist.

I have certainly had my frustrations with the Daily News, but Vera's acerbic 
take on local news is one of the primary reasons I continue to subscribe.  
I'd love to have a local columnist who is a conservative but not a spin 
doctor for any local church, and I'm sure that a careful survey of 
readership would find support for such a person.  All of Moscow is not as 
liberal as some of us, and some of us are not as liberal as much of Moscow.  
Either way, though, mature people can usually read alternative points of 
view without spinning into a mouth-foaming frenzy.

keely



From: Joan Opyr <joanopyr at moscow.com>
To: "Matt Decker" <mattd2107 at hotmail.com>
CC: Vision2020 Moscow <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Subject: [Vision2020] What constitutes good journalism (or why Matt is 
nowsinging with the Castrati)
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 11:14:59 -0800

On 18 Mar 2006, at 19:53, Matt Decker wrote:

>Joan,
>
>Your last post had me thinking and I had to overlook what you/I had said. 
>You are right, vera is couragous and says what she thinks. On the flip note 
>shouldn't a newspaper reporter have some kind of unbiased investigative 
>views. Why was she a big part of the Daily News 1 year ago and now a food 
>critique. I would have to think it was becuase of her radical ideals. Yes 
>Joan sorry to say but when a investigator attacks and doesnt think about 
>both sides of the topic, I too would pull her into food duty.Yes Joan I 
>have an opinion about politics. I don't mean like a Rush Limbugh or a Joan 
>Opyr, but cmon babe please take both sides of the story before you assume 
>who you are talking too.
>
>You know you might actually be surprised of peoples beliefs before you 
>assume so much.
>
>By the way I think the term is 4:20
>
>matt
>

Dear Matt:

First, don't call me "babe."  You call me babe to my face, and you'll soon 
find that you're qualified to sing in the Vienna Boys Choir.  You dig?  It's 
not the Tae Kwon Do that'll do it; it's the steel-toed boots.

Yes, there should be some sort of attempt in all forms of journalism at 
unbiased investigative reporting, but I know from experience that unbiased 
is an ideal -- it's not a reality.  I spent two years working for the 
largest newspaper in North Carolina, The News and Observer, and though I was 
first a mere Weddings and Engagement Page writer and later a book reviewer, 
I had the chance to watch some of the best investigative reporters in the 
business.  My editor, Michael Skube, won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism.  
Features writers can and should do unbiased.  But Vera, in her Ink column, 
is not writing features pieces but an opinion column.  There's a difference 
(one I hope our resident professionally-trained journalist, Keely Emerine 
Mix, will expand upon).

Also, Matt, without giving away Vera's exact age -- which, in my native 
Southland, is an unforgivable sin -- she is over sixty-five.  If she's not 
out there stumping for an "unbiased" story along with Alexis Bacharach and 
Omie Drawhorn, that's because she's semi-retired.  She keeps writing because 
she's good at it, but Vera does not do what Alexis, or Omie, or Dave Johnson 
do.  She does what Molly Ivins and Maureen Dowd do: opinion, opinion, 
opinion.  She also writes the Lewiston Tribune's Food Page, but that's not a 
punishment, Matt.  The Food Page is not a dungeon.  It's what newspaper folk 
call the "Scene/Lifestyles" section.  In my experience, it's kind of fun.  
Tasting, writing, critiquing restaurants and recipes -- the pay isn't great 
but it beats the hell out of working the Drive-thru at McDonald's.

Finally, I make no assumptions whatsoever about your beliefs.  You're all 
over the map, Matt.  I suppose I could toss a dart and hope to hit you, but 
why bother?  I'll take the time to explain to you how (a good) newspaper 
should work, but that's as far as my interest goes.  Moscow had a good 
newspaper; it was called The Idahonian.  The Daily News is not a good 
newspaper.  It has become a chickenshit rag with a couple of very good but 
underutilized writers.  One of those good writers is Vera White.  Another is 
Dave Johnson and yet another is Alexis Bacharach.  All are held down and 
held back by a shoddy editorial board.  That's a shame.  This is a reading 
town that deserves better.  Luckily for us, a couple of papers have begun to 
step into the breach.  The Latah Eagle is getting very interesting, and The 
Argonaut is positively spectacular.  You can pick up the latter for free, 
and I advise/encourage you to do so.  Then, perhaps, we can have a rational 
discussion about what constitutes good journalism.

Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment
www.joanopyr.com



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